For Women's History Month, we are highlighting the directorial work of Elaine May every Monday night!Plot summary: Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the C.I.A., the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.
Ishtar is Elaine May's last feature as director, and the film that black listed her in Hollywood. With it's a very troubled production and bad press around it's release, it became a box office bomb. We think this film (and the rest of Elaine May's work) deserve to be revisited with an open mind.
Elaine May started out in the 1950s as a comedian who formed one half of an immensely successful duo with Mike Nichols, before transitioning her career and regularly breaking the mold as a writer and director. She directed four films between 1971-1987; projects that nearly all involved a considerable degree of conflict with studios, particularly over surpassed budgets and final cuts. These disputes, as well as May’s own elusiveness, have obscured her talent and reputation as a filmmaker. The directorial work of Elaine May is unique, ingenious, witty and has been underappreciated for too long.
Event Venue
Stray Cat Film Center, 1662 Broadway Blvd,Kansas City,MO,United States
Tickets